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Trades click on new computer science building

Date Posted: March 4 2005

A new $40 million Computer Science and Engineering Building is under construction on the University of Michigan campus.

Skanska USA and the building trades are in the process of erecting the four-story, 60,000-square-foot building, which will provide research labs and instructional space to support computer science and information technology.

The phased-in project is taking place to minimize disruption of the academic calendar. The project began in the fall of 2003 and is scheduled for completion in early 2006.

The building will feature flexible and configurable lab space and common areas to encourage collaboration among students and faculty. The highly networked Computer Science and Engineering building will also allow enhanced research into experimental systems in computer architecture and special labs for robotics, mobile computing and security experimentation.

University of Michigan alumnus Kevin O'Connor, chairman and co-founder of DoubleClick Inc. (the first Internet advertising network), gave $5 million for construction of the building. He told the Michigan Daily that the U-M has done a decent, but not exceptional job with its computer

"If you asked me today, '20 years from now, what's it going to look like?' I have no idea, but there are two things that I can tell you with certainty," he told the Daily. "One is that computers and machines will come to play an increasing role in our life, and the second one is that many of the innovations will come from the University of Michigan Computer Science Building."

IT'S RELATIVELY LOW technology in a computer building, but necessary: Reed Breight of Plumbers and Pipe Fitters 190 and Monroe Plumbing installs toilet carriages.
AIR FLOW TESTING IS performed on ductwork by Steve Frohling and Rick Keller of Sheet Metal Workers Local 80 and Applegate at the U-M Computer Science and Engineering Building.